Earlier this high school football season, all five Cherokee County schools went two straight weeks undefeated for the first time in their collective history.
I should have realized then it was just a precursor to this.
Never in their history has all five Cherokee County football teams made the playoffs in the same season – until now. All five will be among the 208-team playoff field come kickoff tomorrow night.
So congratulations to Cedar Bluff, Cherokee County, Gaylesville, Sand Rock and Spring Garden. Heck, we might as well throw Piedmont in there too, because Bulldog head coach Steve Smith is a Cherokee County High School graduate and former Cedar Bluff head coach.
You’ve all had great seasons to this point, and it’s been a pleasure to tag along, write and talk about you these past 11 weeks. Keep it going as long as you can.
Speaking of keeping things going, despite going a mere 3-2 last week (see, I told you Halloween weekend was going to be tricky), yours truly finished the regular season 52-9. I’ll certainly take picking correctly 85 percent of the time. If only I could do that well in college this year, but I digress.
Anyway, here’s ‘What In The World Is Shannon Fagan Thinking’ for the first round of the state playoffs.
Gaylesville (6-4) at Wadley (9-1)
These two teams are very similar in that they like to run the football. Both have two 1,000-yard rushers. The Trojans feature Michael Reynolds and Keylon Higgins, while the Bulldogs counter with Jacob Marable and Jumall Buchanan.
This one could come down to which team makes the least mistakes. The Bulldogs missed two extra points last week that proved to be the difference in their lone loss of the regular season to Spring Garden. I look for the Bulldogs to have that part of their game shored up and win in a contest that might be a little closer than what people think.
The pick: Wadley.
Woodland (3-7) at Cedar Bluff (6-4)
Another team that likes to run the football a lot is Woodland. The Tigers will get a load of senior Parker Woodham, who is Woodland’s bell cow with 1,427 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Cedar Bluff’s patience will also be tested on defense, as the Bobcats like to milk the clock to try and limit their opponents’ possessions. Discipline will be crucial.
Like the Gaylesville-Wadley game, I’m thinking this one might be a surprising nail-biter, but I like the Tigers at home.
The pick: Cedar Bluff.
Sand Rock (7-3) at Mars Hill (7-3)
The pick: Shortly after last week’s win over Cedar Bluff, I asked Sand Rock coach Alan Heath about the challenge of going to defending 2A state champion Mars Hill. He responded with “I want to see what we’re made of.”
The Wildcats are a solid team behind quarterback Ace Ashley, tailbacks Jacob Cornejo and Trace Haygood, and the multi-talented Olin Pruitt. They could give the Panthers fits if they’re clicking, and as I’ve mentioned before, Sand Rock hasn’t lost on the road all season (7-0), so don’t expect the Wildcats to be intimidated.
I believe Sand Rock will give Mars Hill a game, but I think the task of beating the defending champs all the way in Florence might be just a little too much to overcome.
The pick: Mars Hill.
Hatton (5-5) at Spring Garden (9-0)
Just when you think Spring Garden can’t make much more history in football, the Panthers go and post their first undefeated regular season. This week, they can accomplish another first by defeating Hatton in their first-ever meeting.
Head coach Jason Howard said the Hornets could give the Panthers problems along the trenches. They feature a 6-foot-4, 254-pound senior in Michael Speegle.
I look for the Panther playmakers to find a way to neutralize that disadvantage and chalk up yet another first on Friday night.
The pick: Spring Garden.
Piedmont (8-2) at Sylvania (8-2)
It’s been a while since Piedmont has traveled on the road in the first round of the state playoffs. You have to go all the way back to 2006, which was Steve Smith’s first year as head coach.
A common opponent both teams had this season is Saks. Sylvania lost to the Wildcats in the season opener 42-32, while Piedmont defeated Saks 28-12 on Sept. 3.
Both of Sylvania’s losses this season have been at home. The other was a 16-13 squeaker to Fyffe. Add to that Piedmont is coming off a tough loss to Alexandria, so I expect them to rebound and win the battle with the Rams.
The pick: Piedmont.
Cherokee County (6-3) at Straughn (7-3)
The Warriors find themselves in almost the same situation as they did at this time last year. They had the week off following a tough loss to Jacksonville and utilized that extra time to come up with an effective game plan, which almost worked in a 17-14 loss at Mobile Christian.
This year, the opponent is Straughn, which is under the first-year direction of Ashley Kilcrease. Kilcrease was very successful in his five years at Class 1A Brantley before making the jump up. He’s guided the Tigers to their best season since 2014 and to their first playoff game since 2016, which, ironically, was a 21-7 loss at Mobile Christian.
It seems to me there’s a little added pressure for the Tigers to win their first playoff game in five years under a new head coach. And, I think the Warriors have the desire to put last year’s heartbreaking playoff disappointment behind them.
The pick: Cherokee County.